The present invention relates to an endless conveyor belt that is used for carrying articles in high temperature environments such as are produced by sputtering equipment. More particularly, the present invention relates to such a belt in which the belt is formed from an elongated, helically wound spring having a metallic braided covering or an internal cable to prevent the spring from stretching.
In the prior art belts mounted on power driven pulleys are used to transport articles to and from high temperature process environments. As an example, thin layers of material are deposited onto such articles as automotive windshields, archetectural glass and etc., by a sputtering apparatus. The sputtering apparatus has several stations in which moisture is removed from the articles to be coated, pressure is lowered to well below atmospheric pressure, and deposition of the material is effectuated under the low pressure and at high temperature. The articles are transported in and between stations by endless belts mounted on a system of power driven pulleys Conventionally, endless belts are made of stainless steel cable covered with neoprene or fluroelastomer However, these belts tend to deteriorate or break due to the high temperature underwhich the materials are sputtered. As a result of such breakage, production must cease in order for the broken or damaged belt to be replaced. As may be appreciated, this is both time consuming and expensive.
As will be discussed, the present invention provides an endless conveyor belt for conveying articles that is ideally suited to be fabricated from materials that are more capable of withstanding a high temperature environment than prior art materials.